Saturday, July 23, 2011

Priests support Fr. Roy Bourgeois

More than 150 Roman Catholic priests in the United States have signed a statement in support of a fellow cleric [Fr. Roy Bourgeois] who faces dismissal for participating in a ceremony that purported to ordain a woman as a priest, in defiance of church teaching. The American priests’ action follows closely on the heels of a “Call to Disobedience” issued in Austria last month by more than 300 priests and deacons. They stunned their bishops with a seven-point pledge that includes actively promoting priesthood for women and married men, and reciting a public prayer for “church reform” in every Mass. And in Australia, the National Council of Priests recently released a ringing defense of the bishop of Toowoomba, who had issued a pastoral letter saying that, facing a severe priest shortage, he would ordain women and married men “if Rome would allow it.” After an investigation, the Vatican forced him to resign ..... for the first time in years, groups of priests in several countries are standing with those who are challenging the church to rethink the all-male celibate priesthood ...

Will anything come of this - will Fr. Bourgeois get to keep his job, will an open discussion on women's ordination be allowed by the Vatican? I'm not holding my breath. But still, I think people should speak against what they see as unfair, whether anyone listens to them or not.

2 Comments:

I caught that Times article somewhere...and I agree with you that people should be able to speak out about what they believe is unfair. Even in the Church... and maybe ESPECIALLY in the Church, because justice is dear to us, even when it's inconvenient or uncomfortable.